Non-refillable bottle



A. J. CARLIN.

NON-REFILLABL'E BOTTLE. APPLICATION HLED FEB. H. I917.

1,340,373. Patented May 18, 1920.

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ALFRED J. CARLIN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

NON-REFILLAIBLE BOTTLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Application filed February 17, 1917. Serial No. 149,345.

To all "whom it may concern:

lie it known that I, ALFRED J. CARLI'N, a citizen of the United States, residin at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and tate of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Non Refillable Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in stoppers for non-refillable bottles and other vessels provided with a neck. Such stoppers are designed for the purpose of allowing the liquid contents of the bottle to be poured out, while preventing the bottle from being refilled after the original contents have been withdrawn.

Among the objects of the present invention'are to provide an improved stopper of that general character which shall be cheap and simple in construction, and interpose as little obstruction as possible to the free out-pouring of the contained liquid, and wherein the valve will be very sensitive and quick to close under the pressure of any liquid attempted to be forced or poured 1nto the bottle, and will be protected from being tampered With.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings showing an embodiment of the invention,

Figure l is a central vertical section through the improved stopper and a fragment of the neck portion of a bottle in upright position;

Fig. 2 is a similar section with the bottle decanted for pouring out the contents;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the ribbed gravity-cap that rests upon the valve, and

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of the valve and gravityca is shown in the drawings the improved stopper comprises a tubular cap or casing 2 which may be of porcelain or other suitable material, and which incloses the valve elements of the stopper. The cap is constructed to rest or seat upon the outer end of a bottle neck 3 or upon an annular washer 4 of cork or other resilient material interposed between the cap and the end of the bottle neck. The interior bore of the cap is cylindrical and of uniform diameter and of substantially the same diameter as the interior of the bottle neck, and it has at the top a central pouring opening 5 of lesser diameter. Near the bottom it is formed with a. circumferential exterior shoulder 6, whereby it may be secured to the bottle neck by means of a sheet metal collar 7 crimped over the shoulder and bent or spun into a groove 8 on the outside of the bottle neck.

In the bottom of the cap is a seating ring 9 for the valve. The edge of the ring fits into a circumferential groove or notch recessed into the lower end of the cap wall, and the ring is held between the shoulder 10 which forms the top of the groove and the washer 4. It has a central tubular downward extension 11 which fits within the bottle neck, and is formed with a central hole or opening 12 through which the contents of the bottle can be poured out when the bottle is inverted or decanted. as shown in Fig. 2.

Loosely arranged within the cap 2 above the ring 9 and normally seating thereon is valve disk or block 13 of some light material. preferably cork, of larger diameter than the opening 12 in the ring, so that the valve. when centered within the cap, will (lose the opening To assist in holding the \nlvc down upon its seat I have provided a gravity cap or thimble 14 of uniform diameter which rests upon the top of the valve when the bottle is in upright position. This is provided peripherally with straight spacing ribs or legs 15 of parallel width which. extend down upon the outside of the valve disk and serve to confine it and keep it centered so that it will not become tilted or tipped and thereby seat imperfectly. These ribs extend almost or quite to the wall of the cap 2 so that the cap 14 will itself be centered and guided by them in its movements up and down. In orderthat the weight of the cap may all come upon the valve 13 when the bottle is in upright position I have made the legs or ribs too short to reach the ring 9.

The spaces between the legs or ribs 15 form straight vertical ports through which the liquid can pass out through the bottle neck when the bottle is decanted or inverted. In order that the liquid may have a free straight passage from these ports over the top of the cap 14 and out through the central pouring opening 5, I have provided the top of the cap near the periphery thereof with a plurality of spacing lugs 16 which keep the top of the cap from closing the opening 5.

it will be noted upon inspection of the drawings that the parts are particularly constructed to efi'ect a noiseless telescopic movement of the gravity cap and valve block within the uniform bore of the cap, which prevents undesirable rattling when the bottie is decanted.

In operation, when the bottle is standing upright, as shown in Fig. 1, the valve 13 will seat upon the ring 9 and close the central opening 12 so that no liquid can pass into the bottle and the valve will he held down firmly upon its seat by means of the grardty-eap 14. Vv'hen the bottle is in verted or devalued to pour out the contents, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the gravitymap and valve will both drop away from the ring 9 toward the month oi' the bottle until th-.- lugs to lodge against the upper wall of the cup 2, thereby uncovering the valve opening and allowing the liquid in the bottle to pass out thereth'rough into and through the peripheral ports between the legs 15 ot the gravity-cap and over the top of this cap between the lugs 16 to the pouring open- %f it is attempted to relill the bottle when the same is in upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, the liquid will merely till the ports and spaces outside the gravity cap 14- and the valve 13, but cannot pass through illi' valve opening 12 because that. opening will be covered and closed by the valve i i. The liquid cannot lift the valve from its seat in spite of its buoyancy on account ol tindownward pressure exerted thereon by the gravity-cap and by the liquid on top of the same.

Shou-ld it be attempted to force liquid into the bottle by pressure when the same is inverted or decanted, the liquid will force the cork valve up, or cause it to float up, so as to seat against the ring 9, and close the opening 12 therein, the tendency of the valve to rise to the top of the liquid being reinforced by the direct pressure of the liquid on the under side of the valve. To allow this pressure to be exerted on the valve the under edges of the cap 14 between the legs 16 are cut away as shown at 17 so that the liquid will impinge upon the outer edge oi the valve.

While I have here shown a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be under stood that the details of the structure can he changed and modified in various particulars without departing from the prin ciple of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A non-refillable bottle including a neck portion formed with a discharge opening therethrough, and means for closing the dis charge opening comprising a cork body for seating over the latter and a gravity cap seating on the cork body and having depending legs guidingly embracing the side of the latter for a portion of its thicknessand guidingly fitting the interior oi the neck portion.

2-. A non-refillable bottle having a nec a tubular casing seating thereon and pro vided with a dischzu'ge opening and an ule! opening, a gravity eap slidalile within the tubular casing and iormed with depending: legs, the alternate ones of which extend above the cap and are adapted to abut the end of the casing to prevent closing of the discharge opening, and a valve block embraced by the downward leg extensions and adapted to seat over the inlet opening of the casing.

3. A non-refillable bottle having a neck, a tubular easing seating thereon and con traeted at one end to form an end wall with a disehar e opening therethrough, an inlet opening or the casing, 21 valve block of light fibrous material engageable over the inlet opening to close the same, and a holder l'or the block seating on the same and hav ing depending legs guidingly embracing the periphery of the block to secure the same thereto, the latter projecting beyond the legs to be uninterrupted thereby during the seating of the block, the alternate legs extending above the body of the holder to abut the end well of the casing when moved toward said Walt.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED J. CARLIN.

Witnesses Airmen P. Lornnor, H. SWANSON. 

